14 Aug The Process of Making Bronze Statues

Every bronze statue making process starts with an estimate of the final product. For this, the bronze sculpture artists hold meetings with the client to determine exactly what he or she wants in the bronze statue. Sketches are made until the client is satisfied with the conception of the design. The client can also provide photos to give the bronze sculpture artists an idea of what he or she wants. Alternatively, the two can start from scratch and build the idea accordingly.

Material: The material of the statue is then decided by the client. The sculptor may also use a small clay model to better portray his conception of the design. The clay model can be modified to fine tune the client’s wishes.

Mini-Sculpture: Finally, the bronze sculpture artist may finalize the miniature model of the final design in order to give the client a preview into how the final product will look. This model is made using the material decided, and it can be used by the client for marketing purposes so that he can raise funds for the sculpture.

Creating the Backbone: The backbone of the bronze statue, also called the armature consists of a steel frame with foam added to it in order to resemble the rough outline of the final product. This is then sealed with a latex coat to secure it.

The Sculpting: The main work starts only now. Many pounds of hot clay are used and applied by hand to “block in” the design for the first time. The bronze sculpture artist then invests a lot of time adding more clay, removing some clay and molding the clay until the final product finally resembles the required design. Tiny details are added on to give more preciseness to the bronze statue and make it more real.

Finally, the bronze statue is complete after hundreds of hours of effort. As you can see, the sculpture making process is long and tedious. However, all this effort is well worth the satisfaction on the client’s face when he finally sees the statue!